Injuries in hockey Essay Example for Free

Injuries in hockey Essay In hockey you need both general fitness and specific fitness. You need good strength, stamina, speed, agility, balance, co-ordination, fast reactions and many more. All these can help every individual become better at their sport and have better health. These fitness needs can also prevent many injuries as you are less agile to your sport. Fitness levels can also be affected by many things such as illness, weight, alcohol and drugs, dieting and psychological factors. You should always warm up before physical workout and cool down afterwards. There are many factors that can cause injury but also many ways to prevent them. Injuries are both internally caused and externally caused. Internal injuries are self caused where you over use the muscles and external injuries are caused equipment, environmental conditions or opponents. Injuries can occur due to the weather (environment), being overweight causing heart problems, breathing problems, joint and foot problems etc, physical ability, the wrong equipment and facilities. These can be prevented by setting realistic targets, pre participation screening, carrying out fitness programmes in pre season, using appropriate equipment, do not over train or train while hurt. Enforcing rules helps prevention of dangerous use of sticks and careless play of the ball. Also seek medical attention sooner rather than later and get adequate nutrition. Injured people should not be moved unless they them self say that it is ok. If more attention is paid to extrinsic and intrinsic risk factors, injuries can be a lot less frequent. The same injuries can occur in many different sports in different situations but there can be more common injuries in each individual sport such as legs in football, shoulder or arm in javelin and hands or ankles in netball etc. Environmental injuries are things such as frostbite, hypothermia, exhaustion and heat stroke. Injuries can also occur due to physiological reasons making the person become fatigue, have muscle soreness and depletion of energy reserves. Before carrying out a session in the individual sport, a risk assessment should be preformed as there are others risk factors that should be identified such as slippery surfaces, equipment left out, food or drink that may be tipped in the training area. You can outline whether or not the area is suitable for that sport or the right age group and if not, how the safety issues could be improved. You also have to take into consideration the age of the sportsperson as already mentioned. In hockey, it is important that the right equipment and footwear is worn to prevent injuries and to have a pre game warm up and stretching. Overall, a hockey team needs to wear gum shields to protect their mouth and teeth from hockey balls and sticks, shin guards to protect their legs from sticks also, body protection such genital protectors, gloves to protect hand and knuckles from sticks, Astroturf trainers to get better grip when running and a goalie needs a goalie kit which includes a hard hat, body protectors like abdominal protectors, knee pads, shoulder and elbow pads, chest pad, throat protector, padded shorts and thigh protectors, kickers etc to protect them from flying balls etc. All this equipment should be regularly checked including hockey sticks to ensure they do not put any other player in danger while they are in use. Most injuries in hockey are mainly down to being struck by a hockey stick or hockey balls. Injuries in hockey can be very serious and as it is played in over 132 countries, injuries are very common. Overuse injuries to the ankles and lower back are very common in hockey and can be treated mainly by rest. The face is normally injured by the stick or ball, the lower limb includes injuries to the ankles, knees and feet, and upper body injuries such as hands and forearms. These injuries are pretty serious and the player may need to be hospitalised. There are eight physiological effects of ageing which obviously decrease your playing capability and metabolic rate etc. There would also a decrease in number and size of fibre muscles, a decline in the person cardiac output and muscles. In general, injuries have said to affect people of different ages, such as young children aged between six and nine should not train at such a high level and it should be more fun and lots of variation. People aged ten to twelve should include a lot more technique and co-ordination exercises as this is the right age to improve mobility technique and reflexes. As each child gets older and closer to puberty, they then should be playing sport to suit their maturity and ability. From the age fifteen onwards is when children could begin anaerobic training and strength training as this is more often or not when the muscles and skeleton allow an increased load. Injuries in hockey can be very serious and as the sport is played in over 132 countries, injuries are also very common. Some common injuries apply to most sports such as shin splints, sprains, fractures, pulls etc. Hockey is known as a hard-hitting, collision sport. Players risk injury from high-impact collisions with each other. The knee is frequently injured, with sprains to the medial collateral and capsular ligaments being fairly common. Cruciate ligament tears are less common in hockey and seen more in turf sports, such as football. This is a hospitalised injury which may need ice and bandage to reduce swelling and rest after operation. The Acromioclavicular, or AC, joint separation (separated shoulder) is a common injury. This could be caused by various things such as a hard fall, swinging of stick or hard knock by opposing team. This is also a hospitalised injury which needs support and rest. This is also a common injury where the stick of another player may hit the hand or if the player is to have an awkward fall etc. All these injuries need support and in many cases bandaged up. Most injuries include fractures and torn tendons. It has been said that as many as one-third of injuries are caused by foul play. Many have observed a need for increased vigilance in this area, mainly in adolescence and high school. The enforcement of effective rules has lead to fewer injuries. Players have been said to demonstrate a high level of body dissatisfaction and an elevated drive for thinness. These have been associated with risk of osteoporosis which have been linked to an increased risk of stress fractures, especially in the lumbar region of the lower back. If injuries are left or ignored after so long, they can only get worse. If you look below, you can see a bone scan showing a low-intensity lesion abutting the expanded area of the posterior cortex. A CT scan shows what appears to be an osteoid osteoma or Brodies abscess. This is what started off to be just a twisted ankle and not the right treatment. Injuries to the adductors are muscles that run from the inside thigh. These are active while running, twisting and side stepping activities. An injury can occur at any time during these activities or a fall. Pain may begin and aching on the inner thigh. Bruising that appears may track down to the knee at times. The treatment of RICE is rest, ice, compression and elevation. This treatment should be applied immediately. This is reducing more damage by keeping off the injury, applying ice, to compress injury be using bandages etc to reduce swelling and elevate the injured, in order to get blood flowing away from injury to stop internal bleeding and bruising and to speed up recovery. This will assist the resolution of pain and minimise inflammation. Following the RICE solution, you should walk only when really needed. A calf strain is also well known in sport. The two main muscles make up the back of the lower leg (Calf). One is attached above the knee joint. This is the Gastrocnemius and the other one below called the Soleus. These make one thick Achilles tendon that is attached to the back of the heel. Their main action is to raise the heel from the ground, but also assist to bend the knee. They act during walking, running and jumping. The calf can be injured by running and jumping in hockey or when you overload the muscle. Pain may start in the tendon attachment at the back of calf. The RICE treatment could also be applied to this. Players should allow enough time for adequate rehabilitation of injuries, especially full recovery of ankle function, before returning to pre-injury levels of play. There are lots more common injuries in hockey such as Gilmores groin caused by running, coughing, kicking etc, hamstring strains, Osgood-Schlatters Disease, shin splints, cartilage injury, runners knee and many more. There are less serious injuries such as rubbing causing blisters, cramp, concussion, stitch, groin strain etc. These are mainly bandaged up and use of plasters helps and basically rest is needed. shin splint Sprain and strain of the joint and surrounded tissue are one of the most common sports related injuries (sprain involves the ligament and strain involves muscle or tendon). The typical inflammatory response may include swelling of the injured area, redness, skin discoloration, and reduced range of motion of the joint. R.I.C.E treatment, many athletes have found acupuncture treatment to be very useful in suppress inflammation and swelling fast. Muscles injuries can be caused by muscle damage by direct trauma or indirect trauma. These injuries can be divided into ruptures and haematomas. Ruptures can be total or partial and subdivided into distraction and compression ruptures. Haematomas- inter and intramuscular . Major differences between the treatment and prognosis of the two types. Distraction ruptures are caused by over stretching or overloading. Compression rupture is direct impact which is the muscle pressed against underlining bone. Another solution which is often used to treat injuries is SALTAPS. This is known as: Stop- stop game Ask- ask injured person what happened Look- Look at injury Touch- Feel for any differences e.g. uninjured knee and injured knee Active movement- see what sort of range of movement they have Passive movement- move injured area with hand Stop and start again- rest and come back to sport when ready. Cold treatment with use of ice, decreases sensitivity of painful areas and relaxes muscle spasms. The cold slows nerve impulses to the muscle and decreases blood circulation which helps reduce inflammation. There is also the heat treatment. This treatment should not be started until at least 48 hours after the injury occurred. Same applies to massage. Heat therapy relaxes muscles, relieves pain and accelerates healing by increasing blood flow to a targeted area. Application of heat has many forms, from simply taking a hot shower to sophisticated methods such as ultrasound. Heat should not be used immediately after injury but after swelling has gone down. The RICE treatment should be applied to soft tissue injuries during the first 24-48 hours. Injury at its acute stage, the blood vessels expand and blood clotting procedure may be disrupted. Ointments, liniments and medicines are also used along with muscle training of isometric and static muscle work. There are many different methods of treatment that help injuries repair a lot quicker with the right amount of care. They are all fairly successful but have slightly different procedures applied and some work better than others depending on the server ness of the injury. SALTAPS is immediate treatment to an injury, where as RICE treatment could last up to a few weeks. In many cases, RICE treatment will continue through a players career therefore is a more common source of treatment and more well known. Research indicates that nutritional factors, or the lack thereof, can play a significant role in healing and recovery. Three nutrients vitamin C, bioflavonoid and glucosamine sulphate appear to be particularly important. Vitamin C possesses anti- inflammatory properties and can help control the damage that often accompanies tissue injury. Vitamin C is required for collagen fibre synthesis, a process essential for tissue bone repair. Adequate amounts of vitamin C are therefore critical for the stimulation of that process. Each treatment has a different amount of effectiveness on injuries but one or all can often be used through the period of injury in most common sporting injuries. Further ways to reduce and prevent injuries are to apply certain bandaging before play, apply ointments, and reduce length of pitch for younger children. Hockey injury data at all levels should be collected to compare and improve participation. There should be more research and findings on sporting injuries to ensure less likeliness of injury. Coaches should be taught principles of sport-specific conditioning and fitness as part of their training. Other ways to improve sports and prevent injuries is to ensure the right foot wear is worn, equipment is safe and appropriate and that the rules set are followed.

Using ‘Ode on Melancholy’ and one other, examine how Keats uses languag

Using ‘Ode on Melancholy’ and one other, examine how Keats uses language to explore his muses Keats In ‘Ode on Melancholy’ Keats accepts the truth he sees: joy and pain are inseparable and to experience joy fully we must experience sadness or melancholy fully. The first stanza urges us not to try and escape pain; stanza two tells us what to do instead - embrace the transient beauty and joy of the nature and human experience, which contain pain and death. Stanza three makes clear that in order to experience joy we must experience the sorrow that beauty dies and joy evaporates. The more intensely we feel happiness, the more subject we are to melancholy. The poet's passionate outcry not to reject melancholy is presented negatively – â€Å"no,† â€Å"not,† â€Å"neither,† â€Å"nor.† The degree of pain that melancholy may cause is implied by the ways to avoid it, for example â€Å"go to Lethe† and â€Å"suffer thy pale forehead to be kissed by nightshade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The first two words, â€Å"No, no,† are both accented, emphasising them; their forcefulness expresses convincingly the speaker’s passionate state. In the first stanza, the language used presents â€Å"the wakeful anguish of the soul†. Keats speaks of â€Å"yew-berries† which are generally associated with mourning; the mood of the stanza is joyless which mirrors the subject it speaks of. However, Keats describes the â€Å"anguish† as â€Å"wakeful† because the sufferer still feels and so still has the capacity to feel happiness. The language used in ‘Ode on Melancholy’ is highly appropriate – the clouds are â€Å"weeping†. Much of the effectiveness of this poem derives from the concrete imagery. Throughout the poem, Keats yokes elements, which are ordinarily regarded as incompatible or as opposites. These ... ...e him unable to hear it anymore and therefore feel anguish. In the end of ‘Ode on Melancholy’, we see the reward of the â€Å"wakeful anguish of the soul†. The possessor of the wakeful soul â€Å"shall taste the sadness of her might†. The change of tense from present pleasure to future melancholy expresses their relationship – one is part of and inevitably follows the other. Keats concludes that the wakeful soul will be the â€Å"trophy† gained from melancholy. However, the trophies are described as â€Å"cloudy,† which has negative overtones keeping the muse of the poem constant throughout. Keats explores his muses using language of both happiness and despondency. Each of these feelings characterise the poems and therefore the use of imagery is relevant. The language used enables Keats to convey his emotions and experiences to the point where the reader can feel them too.

International Finance Corporation

Financing the Mozal Project Executive summary We have assessed the various risks involved in the Mozal project. The construction risk, operating risk and financing risk are relatively small but the political risk is very high. Creeping expropriation and moral hazard are realistic threats to the project. The high sovereign risk is reflected in the hurdle rate. The hurdle rate amounts to a much higher value than the internal rate of return. Therefore, it is not feasible for the sponsors to undertake the proposed investment in the project.Regarding the financing gap of $250m; participation of the IFC is quintessential as commercial bankers refuse to provide funding without its involvement. IFC involvement could be very beneficial for the project but the IFC's board should not go through with the recommended investment of $120m as the high sovereign risk does not justify making the IFC’s largest investment yet. Summary of facts The Mozal project, a $1. 4b aluminum smelter in Mozam bique, is a joint venture between Alusaf, the aluminum subsidiary of the Gencor group, and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South-Africa, a government owned development bank.Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world and only recently emerged from a 17-year civil war that had destroyed the country’s infrastructure. Both parties would each own 25% of Mozal by an equity investment of $125m. Ownership of the remaining equity stake of $250m is still to be determined. To be able to attract additional funding, the sponsors require needed to involve the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The IFC has a good reputation and solid experience in structuring deals in emerging markets.The IFC board has received a recommendation by its team to participate in the project with a $55m senior debt and $65m subordinated debt investment. http://www. slideshare. net/prafful16/financing-the-mozal-project http://www. scribd. com/doc /105379331/The-Mozal-Project | Financing the Mozal Project Benjamin Esty Harvard Business School – Finance Unit February 18, 2000 Case No. : 200-005; Teaching Note: 5-200-025 Abstract: SUBJECT AREAS: project finance, emerging markets, sovereign risk, valuation analysis, Africa, International Finance Corporation, multi-lateral agencyCASE SETTING: June 1997, Mozambique, aluminum smelter, $1. billion investment, $700 million revenue, 750 employees In June 1997, a project team from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was recommending that the board approve a $120 million investment in the Mozal project, a $1. 4 billion aluminum smelter in Mozambique. Four factors made this recommendation controversial. First, it would be the IFC's largest investment in the world and by far its largest investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, the project was enormous by Mozambican standards–it was not much smaller than the country's 1996 gross domestic project (GDP).Third, Mozambiq ue was a very poor country at the time (per capita GDP of $90) and had only recently emerged from 20 years of civil war. Fourth, many aspects of the deal remain undetermined such as who was going to provide half the equity needed to finance the project. Despite these concerns, the sponsors, Alusaf (the aluminum subsidiary of the South African minerals company, Gencor) and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC is a development bank), want to structure a limited-recourse deal to finance the smelter; it will be non-recourse to the sponsors after completion.Commercial bankers have refused to participate unless the International Finance Corporation gets involved in the deal and so the sponsors have approached the IFC about participation. After reviewing the project's commercial viability and development impact, the IFC team is recommending the investment. The board must decide whether it is the right time and the right project to make such a large investment. The case h as four pedagogical objectives. ) It presents an extreme example of political risk in a developing country setting and shows how organizations like Institutional Investor, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and The PRS Group attempt to analyze it for prospective investors.2) It illustrates the modern form of political risk management through project selection, structuring, and insurance, and contrasts this approach with the older, financial style of political risk management whereby sponsors simply increased hurdle rates to ensure sufficient project returns. ) It highlights the various roles multilateral development institutions, in general, and the IFC, in particular, can play in financing major projects. 4) It analyzes IFC's involvement in appraising, structuring, monitoring, and financing projects, and shows how these activities create value by resolving costly market imperfections including information, distress, agency, and transactions costs. It also explores the IFC's performan ce in these various activities. Given these objectives, the case is appropriate for business/government, strategy, international business, and finance courses. Case and Teaching Paper Series

The Case Study G20 Maketing Decision

The case study G20 – Marketing Decision Making [pic] [pic] 1. Refer from perceptual map, SAAB, BMW and Honda are direct competitors of Infinity G20 because their positions are close to G20 in the perceptual map. The position of G20, SAAB, BMW and Honda is in Segment 3. 2. SAAB, BMW, HONDA are the direct competitor of the Infiniti G20. Infiniti G20 has lowest perception. 3. It is creditable claim to promote G20 as Japanese car with German feel. From the preference of the respondents it’s concerned more about Attractive, successful. . S1 – The most important attribute is Hi Prestige because this segment Predominant employment is professionals thus this group of people need hi class brand or high prestige. S2 – The most important attribute is Roomy because the percentage of Married is 75% and persons per household is 3. 8 so they need Roomy attribute S3 – The most important attribute is Attractive because this segment represents the American dreamers w hich concerned about how attractive they are. – The segment that should be market of G20 is S1 and S3. To reposition the G20 we should concerned about successful and attractive that make more market share. – Using Advertisement and professional suggestion to increase Attractive and Successful 4. Set the research problem direct to the Attractive Variable and Successful Variable Assignment 2 1. Base on the perceptual map, there are main competitors in segment 3 such as, BMW, Honda, SAAB The people in this market perceive the Infiniti G 20 is like the brand for attractiveness and successful when compare with its competitors. However BMW is likely to be more attractive more than Infiniti G 20. 2. No, because based on the perceptual map and Exhibit 1 the most of the respondents perceive that BMW is high prestige more than G20 so the company cannot claim that G20 like BMW. 3. For segment 1, the most importance attribute is High Prestige. For segment 2, the most importance attribute is Roomy. Finally, the most importance attribute is Attractive for the segment 3. We get the answer because we look at the angle. The fewer angles between attribute and Segment vector that is the importance factors. The segment which we would market the infiniti G20 are segment 1 and segment 3 so we want to reposition the infiniti G20 in attribute of high prestige and attractive to gain more customer and motivate our target in these segment choose our brand. Case: Positioning the infinity G20 1. From the perceptual map, people in this market perceive the Infinity G20 that it has more attractive and successful when compared with competitors. 2. The overall preference of G20’s respondents is less than BMW because respondents of BMW perceive that BMW has high prestige and quiet than G20, and then many people perceive that G20 is not the same level as BMW. So, it shows that the claim is incredible. 3. For segment 1, the most important attribute is high prestige. For segment 2, the most important attribute is roomy. For segment 3, the most important attribute is attractive. – Infinity G20 should market in the segment 3 because segment 3 of G20 has the highest average. G20 should improve attractive attribute to get high average score and market share, also it can move to the better position. – The marketing programmed that G20 would use is improve the attractiveness of the product by do the marketing research about the preference of customers toward the product. Also, the company should develop the product to meet the customer’s need. 4. In research programmed the company should specific customer pref erence on the characteristic of the cars as it can help the company to produce the cars that meet the customer’s need, which would lead to more customer’s confidence on the company. . The advantage of this software: 1. It is easier to position the company in the market. 2. Know the positioning of the competitors. 3. Know that which attribute is most important and which attribute is least important. 4. Know that which attribute is suitable for company. 5. Know that which attributes are related to each other. 6. Know which attribute should focus to reposition The limitations of this software: – Some information is difficult to analyze

Lysistrata by Aristophanes - Old Greek Comedy

Lysistrata by Aristophanes - Old Greek Comedy (Pronounced both ways, Liz-IS-trata and Lyzis-TRA-ta, Lysistrata is an anti-war comedy written by the fifth century Greek comic playwright Aristophanes.) Anti-War Sex Strike Lysistrata: And not so much as the shadow of a lover! Since the day the Milesians betrayed us, I have never once seen an eight-inch gadget even, to be a leathern consolation to us poor widows.... Now tell me, if I have discovered a means of ending the war, will you all second me?Cleonice: Yes verily, by all the goddesses, I swear I will, though I have to put my gown in pawn, and drink the money the same day.....Lysistrata: Then I will out with it at last, my mighty secret! Oh! sister women, if we would compel our husbands to make peace, we must refrain...-Lysistrata selection from EAWC Anthology Lysistrata Plot The basic plot of Lysistrata is that the women barricade themselves in the  acropolis and go on a sex strike to persuade their husbands to stop the Peloponnesian War. Fantastic Reversal of Societal Norms This is fantasy, of course, and was even more improbable at a time when women didnt have the vote and men had ample opportunities to whet their sexual appetites elsewhere. The sexual theme is just an attention-grabber. ... [T]he comedy neatly inverts spaces and boundaries the women turn the city into an extended household and seize control of the actual polis not as intruders but as reconcilers and healers. He [sc. Konstan] demonstrates how the womens visions and concepts surpass the fractious politics and warfare of the men.- From BMCR review of David Konstans Greek Comedy and Ideology Making Lysistrata even more far-fetched, according to Brian Arkins in Sexuality in Fifth-Century Athens, (1994) Classics Ireland, an Athenian male could be held incompetent at law for being under the influence of a woman. So, had Aristophanes plot been the historical reality since the women actually do get their way all the Athenian soldiers might have lost their legal rights for being under their wives power. Control of the War Chest Lysistratas band of chaste wives is supplemented by a band of older women who have taken the acropolis in order to  deny the soldiers access to the funds they need to wage war. When the Athenian men approach the acropolis, they are surprised by the number and determination of the women. When they express concern that the Spartans will destroy their city, Lysistrata assures them that women are all they need for defense. Womens Work Lysistrata uses an analogy from the mundane world in which ancient women lived to explain how their strategies will work: First you wash the city as we wash the wool,575cleaning out the bulls**t. Then we pluck away the parasites; break up strands that clump together, forming special interest groups; Heres a bozo: squeeze his head off. Now youre set to card the wool: use your basket for the carding, the basket of solidarity.580There we put our migrant workers, foreign friends, minorities, immigrants and wage-slaves, every person useful to the state. Dont forget our allies, either, languishing like separate strands. Bring it all together now, and585make one giant ball of yarn. Now youre ready: weave a brand new suit for all the citizens.- Lysistrata Lysistrata Makes the Peace After a while, the women grow weak with unsatisfied libido. Some claim they need to get home to their chores, although one is caught trying to escape to a brothel. Lysistrata assures the other women it wont be long; their husbands are in worse shape than they are. Soon men start showing up, trying everything to persuade their women to release them from their pointedly visible torments, but to no avail. Then a Spartan herald arrives to make a treaty. He, too, is very plainly suffering the priapism rampant among Athenian men. Lysistrata acts as go-between Sparta and Athens. After accusing both sides of dishonorable behavior, she persuades the men to agree to stop fighting. Male Female Actors The original comedy manipulated gender roles. Besides women acting like men (having political clout), there were men acting like women (all actors were male). The male characters wore large, erect leather phalluses like the one whose absence (see opening quote) Lysistrata laments. The convention of male actors playing female roles does appear to intrude into the text, just as it may have intruded into the performance. Femininity is represented by Aristophanes as the site of the ultimate comic figure: completely deceptive because she is not real at all. She must be given shape by a man, and everyone knows that.- From BMCR Review of Taaffes Aristophanes and Women Ancient/Classical History GlossaryGreek MythologyAncient AtlasGods and Goddesses A-ZFamous Ancient People (bbk.ac.uk/hca/classics/gender.htm) Aristophanes BibliographyFrom Diotima, scholarly work on Aristophanes. what Aristophanes must have gone through. Accessed 09.1999.(http://didaskalia.open.ac.uk/issues/vol2no1/withers.html) Writing New Ancient TheaterBy Paul Withers, from Didaskalia. Metaphor, simile, meter, unity of time and place are all ancient dramatic components that can be made use of in modern drama with classical themes. Accessed 09.1999.(http://didaskalia.open.ac.uk/issues/vol2no1/Rabinowitz.htm) The Male Actor of Greek Tragedy: Evidence of Misogyny or Gender-Bending?Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz doesnt believe it. She thinks the audience regarded the male actor as neither the man he was in real life, nor the woman he represented, but a representation of the woman. Accessed 09.1999.Guide for Aristophanes LysistrataFrom Temple University. Pages refer to text used in Greek Drama and Culture class. Contains plot summary and suggestions to make the play more entertaining like reading Lampito as a hillbilly. Accessed 04.21.2006.

How My Editor Helped Me Understand Historical Fiction • The Reedsy Blog

How My Editor Helped Me Understand Historical Fiction The Reedsy Blog How My Editor Helped Me Understand Historical Fiction Dan Cross' debut novel, Caesar of Mercenaries, has been shortlisted for the 2018 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award. In this post, he talks about the responsibility historical fiction writers have when it comes to blending fact and fiction - and the advice his editor ultimately gave him that set him on the path to success.I have long possessed a fascination with history. I find it incredible how extraordinary events can be traced back, sometimes hundreds of years, to seemingly innocuous moments.Even more fascinating: some of these moments are due to the actions of one person or a small group who remain relatively unknown today. To me, these men and women are the lost champions of human history, and I delight in using my other passion, writing, to bring them into contemporary consciousness and to give them personalities worth remembering.Historical fiction is enjoying something of a resurgence in popular media today, including television and video gaming. But in no other medium is it more prevalent than the written word. From Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth to Phillipa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl, there are countless examples of authors reimagining past lives and events to create an entertaining and educational story.Caesar of MercenariesIn 2017, I learned of Captain Roger de Flor: a Templar who became a pirate, and then later the Megas Doux (or Caesar) of Constantinople. Reading the little information in the historical record, I became fascinated by this man and his adventures across the world. I wondered why Hollywood hadn’t made a movie about him yet, and then became excited about the prospect that I could be the one to tell his story. (You can read the synopsis for Caesar of Mercenaries here). Are you a historical fiction writer who's straddled the line between fact and fiction? Leave any questions or comments for Dan Cross in the comments below!

Water Supply Jacksonville Florida Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Water Supply Jacksonville Florida - Essay Example In the year 2014, the Florida department of environmental protection performed a detailed assessment of the water system for potential contaminants (Jacksonville Electric Authority, 2014). The potential contaminants are the major grid with 49 sources and the Ponce de Leon grid with three sources. However, further studies on the potential pollutants portrayed a lower to moderate rate of susceptibility. The water in the region is hard water. The question is what is hard water? Affirmatively water can be described as hard water if it contains high levels of minerals that are dissolved. The minerals are such as magnesium and calcium. However, hard water does not pose a health risk, on the contrary, calcium and magnesium is important to human health (Jacksonville Electric Authority, 2014). Most individuals use the magnesium as antacids or common supplements. Hard water may leave spots on utensils; however, this can be removed by use of vinegar. Conclusively the water supply in Florida is safe for the health of the residents. Considerably the hard water in the region does not pose any health implications. Nevertheless, the spots it leaves on utensils can be removed by use of vinegar.